According to reports from Chinese state media, the 21st meeting of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee will be held in Beijing from the 25th to the 26th. During the meeting, the qualifications of “certain representatives” and relevant appointment and removal cases will be reviewed. There is renewed speculation about whether the term “certain representatives” relates to the recently-investigated Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli, and their qualifications as NPC representatives.
China News Service reported that the 61st meeting of the Chairpersons' Council of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee was held in Beijing on the 10th, presided over by Chairman of the Standing Committee Zhao Leji, during which the above decision was made.
According to the report, the Chairpersons' Council recommended that the upcoming 21st meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, starting on the 25th, review multiple draft laws and amendments, as well as agenda drafts, the list of presidium members, the secretary-general, attendees, and the draft work report of the Standing Committee—all related to the upcoming 4th session of the 14th National People’s Congress scheduled for March 5.
At the same time, the Chairpersons' Council also recommended a review of the report by the Credentials Committee of the NPC Standing Committee on “the qualifications of certain representatives,” as well as other appointment and removal cases.
According to the report, at the meeting on the 10th, the NPC Standing Committee’s Credentials Committee made a presentation on the issue of “the qualifications of certain representatives,” but the report did not mention any specific information.
Previously, on February 4, the 20th meeting of the 14th NPC Standing Committee reviewed a report on “the qualifications of certain representatives.” Prior analysis by Hong Kong media indicated that NPC Standing Committee meetings are typically held at the end of the month, but the single-day meeting on the 4th was added on an urgent basis, possibly to deal with the removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their positions as vice chairman and member of the State Central Military Commission respectively, as well as their qualifications as NPC deputies.
However, according to Chinese media reports, the NPC Standing Committee meeting on the 4th only terminated the representative qualifications of Zhou Xinmin, Luo Qi, and Liu Cangli, and did not address Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. Notably, the three whose NPC qualifications were terminated came from the aerospace, nuclear energy, and other engineering fields, sectors that are closely connected to the Chinese military and are also key focuses of the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption efforts.